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Wintering in Wartime
November 25, 2008
STATESVILLE
—Experience “Wintering in Wartime” on the western colonial frontier with North Carolina Provincial soldiers Saturday & Sunday, December 6 & 7, from 10-4 each day at Fort Dobbs State Historic Site in Statesville.
A special candlelight tour of the site will be held at 6:30 pm, Saturday evening, December 7. See the face of history as it was 250 years ago as soldiers at Fort Dobbs dealt with the harsh winter season and celebrated the Advent of Christmas. Living history demonstrations include on-going display of camp life, military drill, musket and cannon firings. Evening programming will feature a tour of the Provincial camp and fort site, rare night time firing of the Fort’s artillery and colonial caroling. Visitors are also welcome to enjoy the tastes of the 18th Century at the Fort’s Visitor Center where mulled cider and ginger snaps will be available. The event is free to the public. Donations to support the educational programming are appreciated.
Colorful, Authentic 18th Century Trade Faire
September 22, 2008
STATESVILLE
—Time travel back to mid-1700s frontier North Carolina at the fourth annual 18th Century Trade Faire at Ft. Dobbs State Historic Site in Statesville, presented Saturday, Oct. 4 and Sunday, Oct. 5 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. At the site where soldiers once defended frontier settlers during the French and Indian War, visitors will have a chance to experience a vivid recreation of a lively and colorful colonial American marketplace. More than 100 juried artisans and historic interpreters from across the nation will demonstrate their trades and sell their wares while entertainers and musicians delight audiences with 18th-century amusements. Admission is free though donations are appreciated.
The most authentic and diverse event of its kind, Ft. Dobbs' 18th-Century Trade Faire brings together accomplished period artisans and entertainers, all in colonial dress. As visitors shop, artisans will demonstrate their craft and explain the historic trades used to make items similar to those used by soldiers quartered at the fort back when this region was the edge of the western frontier. "Faire fare" will be available at the Beggar & Boar tavern where delicacies such as turkey legs, rice and beans and cakes will be sold. Modern concessions will also be sold.
Activities will highlight civilian life on the frontier and feature demonstrations of a printing press, bookbinding and blacksmithing. Visitors will have a chance to wander through colonial military and Cherokee camps; meet a historical interpreter portraying famed North Carolina pioneer, hunter and folk hero Daniel Boone; watch cooking demonstrations, and play colonial games. One can also watch military drills and firing demonstrations or even visit a hunter camp complete with pack horses. Throughout the weekend, visitors will also have a chance to play 18th-century cricket with Tom Melville, a nationally recognized author and cricket historian. Each day at 1:30 pm, a reenactment of an April 1760 Cherokee raid on a local frontier family will be presented. Learn more about Daniel Boone at a lecture given Saturday at 3 p.m. by Robert Morgan, author of Boone: A Biography and Cornell University professor. A divine service like those the soldiers at Ft. Dobbs once held will be reenacted Sunday at 11 a.m.
In the 18th century, market "faires" featured streets filled with booths overflowing with fabric, metal wares, jewelry, toys, animals, food and second-hand clothes, among other goods. Fairegoers could also enjoy singing, dancing and even dramatic performances. Throughout this period, these gatherings played an important role in the lives of farmers, merchants, tradesmen, entertainers and even thieves. Like today, everyone came to the "faire". For more information on Ft. Dobbs and the trade "faire", visit www.fortdobbs.org, call 704/873-5882 or email info@fortdobbs.org.
Scale
Replica of Ft. Dobbs Unveiled
September 10, 2008
STATESVILLE
—State officials unveiled a much-anticipated, detailed scale replica of the
original Ft. Dobbs Tuesday, Sept. 9 at the Friends of Ft. Dobbs annual membership
dinner held at the state historic site. North Carolina folk artist Don Stevenson
recently finished crafting the fort replica, scaled at 1/16th of the size of the
1756 fort. The three-story replica stands 25.75” high and weighs over 200
lbs. Stevenson created the work in consultation with archaeologist and historian
Dr. Lawrence Babits and Ft. Dobbs staff, using funding from the Friends of Ft.
Dobbs, the state historic site’s support group. The
replica will be featured in a new exhibit located in the visitor center. Site
Manager Beth Hill said the replica will provide an additional and exceptional
educational tool that will help make the fort come to life for visitors. According
to Hill, the replica is: “… an important part of the site’s development
and understanding the 1756 fort structure.”
Well
known in folk arts, Don Stevenson lives in Morganton with his wife, Judy where
they own Fourth Creek Folk Art Studio. His replicas of historical buildings across
North Carolina have been featured in “Southern Living” and “Our
State” magazines. A Statesville native, Stevenson has a family connection
to Ft. Dobbs. According to 19th century oral and Stevenson family history, William
Stevenson dismantled wood from Ft. Dobbs around 1766 (five years after the fort
was abandoned by provincial soldiers) and then used the logs to build the Stevenson
schoolhouse in Fourth Creek. Don Stevenson is the sixth-generation
great grandson of William Stevenson. In memory of his great grandfather, Don Stevenson
gave a $3,000 gift-in kind to the project.
The Friends of Fort Dobbs commissioned the replica with support from the Iredell
County Historic Properties Commission. The replica was made possible with a $1,800
grant from the Iredell County Historic Properties Commission. The Iredell Historic
Properties Commission has championed support for Fort Dobbs since the 1970s. Today,
the Commission is led by Chairman Lewis Alexander, a seventh-generation resident
of Statesville. Prestigious
$150,000 Grant Received
July 24, 2008 STATESVILLE
—The federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has announced
that Ft. Dobbs State Historic Site in Statesville is receiving a $150,000 grant
for a multi-year project designed to expand and enhance the site’s historical
and interpretive potential. This grant amount is the maximum the IMLS customarily
awards through its Museums for America (MFA) program, putting Ft. Dobbs in elite
company with the Guggenheim Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art and the National
Building Museum in Washington, D.C., other institutions also receiving $150,000
from the IMLS this year. “Fort
Dobbs Historic Site: Reinterpretation, Expansion & Reconstruction” will
feature planning the site’s development, crafting an interpretive plan, creating
conceptual drawings for the fort’s reconstruction and interior exhibits,
and developing related exhibitions. The project directly addresses Ft. Dobbs’
mission to “preserve and interpret North Carolina’s only French and
Indian War fort” and represents the core of the new community-developed strategic
plan. N.C.
Historic Sites Director Keith Hardison said, “This prestigious IMLS grant
will give us an unparalleled opportunity to explore an oft-neglected aspect of
North Carolina’s colonial history, enabling Historic Sites to interpret Ft.
Dobbs within a broader historical and cultural context.” In
2008, the IMLS’ MFA grants totaled $16.9 million and went to 154 institutions.
The largest museum grant program administered by IMLS, MFA grants support institutions
wanting to strengthen their services in engaging communities (education, exhibitions
and interpretation), building institutional capacity (management, policy and training)
and stewarding collections. MFA
funding is the institute’s largest grant program for museums, providing $16.9
million this year to support the role of museums in American society. These roles
include sustaining cultural heritage, supporting lifelong learning and acting
as community centers. By supporting activities that advance the institution’s
mission and goals, the grants enhance a museum’s ability to serve the public. “As
repositories of our nation’s treasures and our nation’s history, museums
are positioned to play an integral role in the education of their communities.
Museums for America grants support projects and ongoing activities that build
museums’ capacities and help these institutions serve their diverse constituencies
to the best of their abilities,” said IMLS Director Dr. Anne-Imelda M. Radice. The
Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support
for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Its mission is to
create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas.
The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local
organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and
innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the institute,
visit www.imls.gov. “Fortifying
the Post”
May 14, 2008
STATESVILLE
— Experience the western colonial frontier with NC Provincial Soldiers Saturday,
May 17th and Sunday, May 18th from 10am- 4pm at Ft. Dobbs State Historic Site
in Statesville. See the face of history as it was over 250 years ago. Watch as
soldiers begin construction of the defenses of Fort Dobbs as was done in the spring
of 1756. Programming includes military drill and firing, artillery demonstrations
and a Divine Service at 11:00 pm on Sunday with the reading of the Articles of
War.
In the spring of 1756 soldiers in Captain Waddell's frontier company of provincials
had spent the past winter in temporary shelters in what was then Rowan County.
By May with newly allocated funds from the assembly they began work on their home
for the next 6 years, Fort Dobbs. Soldiers will work on creating the outworks
for an 18th century military installation in addition to practicing the skills
of drilling, marching, and firing muskets and swivel guns. Strategic
Plan to be Unveiled May 19
May 7, 2008
STATESVILLE
—A long-range strategic blueprint for Ft. Dobbs State Historic Site featuring
the fort's planned reconstruction will be publicly presented Monday, May 19 at
2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at the site in Statesville. The purpose of these two sessions
is to give the Ft. Dobbs Strategic Planning Committee a chance to share its findings
and recommendations for the site's future over the next ten years. A community-based
group, the committee is inviting the public to come hear about plans for the reconstruction
of the 1756 fort and the development of accompanying interpretive and educational
programs. In
case of bad weather, the committee will present the plan at the Iredell County
Government Center, Commissioners Meeting Room, 200 South Center St., Statesville.
Following the two May 19 sessions, the plan will be publicly available at the
Iredell County Library and at the fort itself as well as mounted at www.fortdobbs.org
and www.coolspring.com. Through May 30, community members may post comments and
suggestions regarding the plan at comments@coolspring.com.
The
Ft. Dobbs Strategic Planning Committee includes the following members: Louis
Alexander-Iredell Historic Properties chair, Statesville
Susan Allred-Iredell
Statesville Schools chief academic officer, Statesville
Ralph Bentley-Friends
of Ft. Dobbs, Statesville
David Bradley-Greater Statesville Chamber of Commerce
president, Statesville
Chandler Bryan-Friends of Ft. Dobbs, Statesville
Ginger
Finley-Neighborhood resident, Statesville
Martha Fowler-Daughters of the American
Revolution (DAR)-Ft. Dobbs Chapter, Statesville
Sandra Gordon-Friends of Ft.
Dobbs, Cornelius
Bill Hicks-Cub Scouts, Mooresville
Beth Hill-Ft. Dobbs
State Historic Site manager, Statesville
Steve Hill-Iredell Statesville Schools
secondary education executive director, Statesville
Louise Huston-Ft. Dobbs
State Historic Site former manager and neighborhood resident, Statesville,
Mike
Johnson-Statesville City Council, Statesville
John Karriker-Gardner-Webb University
president and neighborhood resident, Statesville
Bill Moose-Mitchell Community
College history department, Statesville
Chuck Nantz-Neighborhood resident,
Statesville
Edmund Pendrich-Statesville Convention and Visitors Bureau, Statesville
Bob
Remsburg-N.C. Historic Sites western section chief, Locust
Ken Robertson-Iredell
County Commission, Mooresville
Cecil Stallard-Statesville City Council, Statesville
Marin
Tomlin-Downtown Statesville Development Corp., Statesville
Tina Williams-Success
Institute, Statesville
Cool Spring Center President and Senior Facilitator
Charles Page facilitated the strategic planning process that began in June 2006
and included public forums in January and February 2007. Led by Page, the committee
spent more than 200 hours discussing the future of Ft. Dobbs. Based in Cleveland,
N.C., Cool Spring Center is a consultancy firm specializing in helping corporations
and non-profits with team-building and planning. The
strategic plan underpins the mission of Ft. Dobbs State Historic Site, which is
to "preserve and interpret North Carolina's only French and Indian War fort."
Centered around the theme of education, the plan includes sections on the site's
development, programming, preservation, marketing/outreach and operations. The
plan features the fort's reconstruction, accompanying interpretive proposals and
educational programs.
French
and Indian War to Be Recalled at Fort
March 10, 2008 STATESVILLE
— Join thousands of other visitors at Ft. Dobbs State Historic Site on Saturday,
April 19 and Sunday, April 20 to hear cannons roar and muskets thunder as soldiers,
Indians and civilians recall the 1754-1763 French and Indian War. The fourth annual
"War for Empire" program will recall the epic struggle between England
and France for control of North America. Scheduled
from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily, the event will feature a recreated battle between North
Carolina provincial soldiers and French and their allied Indians, which will was
fought in 1758. The reenactment will be presented at 1:30 p.m. each day. Admission
to all events is free.
Young
and old alike will have a chance to immerse themselves in colony life of 250 years
ago, when America (and North Carolina) was gripped by war. Visitors can inspect
the artillery Britain was able to use against the fortresses of New France and
learn about the men who led North Carolina provincial soldiers through these tumultuous
times. Historical interpreters will recreate the American Indian war councils
of the Cherokee as they decide whether to support the British campaign of 1758.
Following the battle each day, one can even watch the fort's military surgeon
treat a scalped soldier. Other
highlights will include "wagoneers" describing military transportation
in the campaign of 1758, using an original 18th Century Conestoga wagon. Visit
with the ordinary settlers who endured the hardships of a colony at war and see
how human spirit endures. Period music will fill the air as children enjoy 18th
century games and pastimes. Walk through the market faire or join in a typical
divine service at 11 a.m. Sunday. On-going presentations will include military
drills, military and civilian camps, blacksmithing, 18th century medical care,
Cherokee camps, old-fashioned cooking and dishes typically eaten by the colonists,
a hunters camp, artillery demonstrations, sutlers selling period wares and much
more!
Guest
lecturer Dr. David Dixon of Slippery Rock College will also present a talk on
the war's 1758 Forbes campaign to capture the French stronghold Ft. Dusquene at
what is now Pittsburgh. Today, historians mark 1758 as the year the French and
Indian War turned in favor of the British Crown. Official
Fort Dobbs Signage Appears Along Area Interstates
March 10,
2008  STATESVILLE
— The North Carolina Department of Transportation recently erected four brown
guide signs for Fort Dobbs State Historic Site along area Interstates. Exit 150
on I-40 and Exit 54 on I-77 don the State Historic Site logo with the Fort Dobbs
name. The signs are long awaited and will serve as an important means to guiding
visitors to the State Historic Site.
Convention
and Visitor's Bureau Libba Berrineau stated that "By Fort Dobbs receiving
these brown Interstate signs, this will allow Fort Dobbs to attract a new person
off of the heavily traveled I-40 and I-77. These signs will bring more attention
to Fort Dobbs and Statesville's great history in the French and Indian War. The
Convention and Visitor Bureau is very pleased to see this development." Beth
Hill, Fort Dobbs State Historic Site manager, anticipates the near 15,000 visitation
figure from 2007 to grow in 2008 thanks to the signage. Many past Fort Dobbs visitors
have learned about the site through the signage on Hwy 115 and 21. A recent survey
showed over 30% of past visitors to the site visit due to the signage that is
located on Hwy 115 and 21. Hill
said "It is a great opportunity to reach more people and engage them with
the history of Fort Dobbs and North Carolina's role in the French and Indian War.
It is long overdue and an occasion for our community and state to celebrate the
increased attention to the Site." History
Meets Art!
March 7, 2008  STATESVILLE
— Meet artist Robert Steele at the Frame Gallery, located at 110 W. Broad
St., downtown Statesville, Friday, March 15th from 1-4pm.
Steele
will sign and number his recent painting “Fort Dobbs 1756” prints which
will be for sale at the Frame Gallery and at Fort Dobbs State Historic Site. Proceeds
for print sales will go to the Friends of Fort Dobbs. The
painting will be on display at the Frame Gallery the evening of March 15th during
the Downtown Art Crawl. The painting depicts North Carolina Provincial Soldiers
at Fort Dobbs marching while others prepare a chevaux-de-fise near the Fort’s
south door. “Fort
Dobbs 1756”, oil on canvas, 18 x 24 inches, was a gracious gift from Robert
Steele to the Statesville community. Steele worked extensively with Fort staff
in order to create the image based on the archaeological and written documentation
of the Fort and the soldiers who served there. Robert
Gantt Steele has completed many commissions for publishing as well as for private
collections. Recent projects include a commission from Smithsonian Magazine to
illustrate the people and the atmosphere of a small town in France. He is now
engaged in painting background scenes of an eighteenth century black burial ground
for a museum in New York. His interest in music helped him create posters used
for the promotion of Broadway shows such as “Showboat.” Steele
is a native of Statesville, NC. He was originally trained as an architect at North
Carolina State and at the University of California, Berkeley. He studied art in
Austria as a Fulbright scholar. He recently designed a new home for his family
near San Francisco and is very active in the preservation of historic art and
architecture. Campaign
Season Begins
March 5, 2008 STATESVILLE
— Experience the western colonial frontier with North Carolina Provincial
soldiers Saturday and Sunday, March 8-9, 10-4 pm at Fort Dobbs State Historic
Site in Statesville. See the face of history as it was 250 years ago as soldiers
prepared for the campaign season in the spring of 1758.
Armies of the 18th Century were generally inactive during the winter months as
dirt roads turned to quagmires and soldiers clothing often proved inadequate to
combat harsh cold and driving snow. As spring conditions warmed and dried the
land, however, soldiers readied themselves for the opening of the year's campaign.
In the spring of 1758 soldiers at Fort Dobbs under the command of Andrew Bailey
were preparing for the campaign season and a long march to Pennsylvania where
they anticipated expelling the French from the forks of the Ohio.
During
the living history weekend, Fort Dobbs will bring to life the lives of the 1750s
garrison through engaging and interactive programming. Join the men as they take
advantage of the mild weather to make additions and repairs to their shelters
and the Fort's defenses. Visitors will thrill at the pageantry of military drill
and firing. Programming will also include camp life, cooking and woodworking.
A Divine Service will be held at 11:30 am on Sunday. Historic
Interpreters to Don Indian Clothes for 1758 Campaign
January 25, 2008 STATESVILLE
— Fort Dobbs living history volunteers will learn about the 1758 Forbes Expedition
and military clothes that North Carolina soldiers wore during this British campaign
in Pennsylvania. The campaign resulted in the Capture of Fort Du Quesne (now present
day Pittsburgh) and turned the tide of war. The
workshop, scheduled for Saturday, January 26, will teach the volunteers how to
make their kit and will begin Fort Dobbs' plans for brining to life the tumultuous
year 1758 during the 250th commemoration of the military campaign. Beth
Hill, Fort Dobbs State Historic Site Manager, is excited about the Fort's plans
for 2008. The workshop will serve as a springboard into the year's activities
and events including War for Empire: 1758 scheduled for April 19-20, 2008. Exhaustive
research has enabled site staff and nationally recognized curators of material
culture to identify the North Carolina Provincial soldier's kit for the campaign. As
proposed by a young, George Washington, serving in the Virginia Provincial ranks,
the "Indian dress" required soldiers to remove their coats and breeches
and wear moccasins and blankets. The gear allowed soldiers to move more easily
against the French, and also helped the British create a "shadow" of
many Indian allies to intimidate the French. Once
complete, Fort Dobbs living history volunteers will wear their new gear for 2008
programming and special events. Hill said she is "pleased with the opportunity
to add another nuance to the site's interpretive programming and bring to life
the rich, almost exotic nature, of the French and Indian War - the War that determined
the fate of North America and sowed the seeds of independence." During
the War, Fort Dobbs' commanding officer, Hugh Waddell, "dressed and acted
like an Indian" according to the Royal Governor Arthur Dobbs in 1760. Waddell
and his Segt. Rogers captured intelligence that led to the defeat of Fort Du Quesne
in 1758. According to Hill "these men, our men from North Carolina, overcame
tremendous odds with very limited resources to fight a monumental war. This is
our story. This is our history. During this time we see a dramatic shift in military
tactics which had a dramatic impact on how the Revolution was fought just a few
years later." Fort
Dobbs' ambitious plans to highlight North Carolina's role in the French and Indian
War, and in particular the 1758 Forbes campaign, include 2 major events and 5
additional living history weekends throughout the year and several off-site programs.
The Garrison is particularly enthusiastic about participating in a program at
Fort Ligonier, PA this fall where the North Carolina soldiers campaigned 250 years
ago.
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